Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The ministry said Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has instructed consular officials to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the detained men and to pursue their release.
The Egyptian Interests Section in Tehran, which handles consular affairs in the absence of full diplomatic relations, confirmed that the four Egyptians were crew members on a vessel named Reem Al-Khaleej. The ship is being held at the southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas after being intercepted near Qeshm Island.
Ambassador Haddad El-Gohary, who oversees consular affairs, said an official from the Interests Section has been dispatched to Bandar Abbas to provide legal and consular assistance and to follow up on the case with Iranian authorities.
The ministry’s statement came after a video circulated on social media showing one of the Egyptian crew members appealing for government intervention. In the video, the man said he works as a senior naval officer and that he and three other Egyptians were detained in December on smuggling charges.
He denied the accusations, saying the vessel was transporting a shipment from Sharjah to Khor Fakkan in the UAE when it was stopped by Iranian authorities. He said the crew was transferred to Iran and fined a total of $14 million.
According to the crew member, the company operating the vessel hired a lawyer, but the case has seen no progress.
“If they do not pay, they will be imprisoned,” he said.
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